Ain’t No Stone Unturned, Ain’t No Song Unheard
by Bakageta
Summary: Side A: The After Shinigami View. Side B: Flashback! Before Shinigami! A Series of Chad centric drabbles/ficlets focusing on after the Winter War and before the shinigami show up.
1. Side A: The After Shinigami View

Ain't No Stone Unturned, Ain't No Song Unheard

Side A: The After Shinigami View

Bakageta

For Unsane Chibi (AKA: Miggrator and god knows how many other names…)

'_Ain't no stone unturned,_

_No wiseguy's gonna put me down._

_Ain't no song unheard,_

_But it laughs back at you now,_

_Right back at you now.'_

_--'No Song Unheard', The Hellacopters_

_**Side A: The After Shinigami View**_

**Track One: Walk Through That Door**

When everything is said and the Winter War is only a thing recounted in Academy classrooms, Chad will sit in his one room New York apartment (his feet had kept their wings for half the world) and he will wonder if he has made an impression on the world.

His friends, his nakama, from his teenage days are a given, whether they had passed on, Ichigo, or were living surrounded by grandchildren, Ishida and Orihime. Over his travels he hadn't kept in regular contact with anyone other than Ichigo, who, after his death, hadn't let distance keep him from visiting his friends. What they had been through was impossible to forget.

Who else, he wonders. He has had no true loves, at least none that went beyond the door of a bar, and while he has friends everywhere, none of them are nakama. He will look over his quiet apartment, with its pull-out couch bed and corner kitchen, and he will think that not many will notice when he dies.

But when a dirty street-wise boy drags in a struggling, bleeding dog, shouting for help, Chad will stand. And when the boy hands Chad the dog, mumbling his thanks, Chad will realize that while not many will take notice of his death, the few that will notice outweigh them by far.

**Track Two: Enter National Travel**

When the Winter War had finally ended and he had graduated high school, Chad decided he wanted to travel.

At first he stayed in Japan, hopping from prefecture to prefecture via bullet train. He worked odd jobs, he lived sparsely, and all his extra money went towards a plane ticket to the mainland. Two years later he had enough and left for Europe, bypassing china completely; he'd lived there for six months while waiting for sea passage with his Abuelo's friends on his way back to Japan. When he landed in London the wander lust that had always been in him woke.

After he landed, Chad hitchhiked across the European continent. Name a country and he'd driven across it at the very least. He stayed for twelve years, crisscrossing countries and scrapping up enough money to live on and to save. When he had enough he left for South America where he stayed for another seven years. He swept up into Central America and North America from there.

Chad stopped his travels in New York, New York when he realized he was nearly fifty years old, and even then only stopped because he was headed towards Europe again and had already been there.

**Track Three: Mistaken Identity**

During the later part of his travels, Chad was often told that at first glance he looked so similar to his Abuelo that a second take was necessary. When this happened he would smile and think that being mistaken for such a man was a very good thing.

**Track Four: Street Corner Music Is Best**

Another reason Chad stayed in New York was the abundance of street artists. More specifically he stayed for the musicians.

He would walk for hours in central park, pausing at his favorites, and tossing a few coins into their hats or cases or jars if he had any to spare. To him their music was more real, truer, than any found on a CD. Eventually he found a guitar and set himself up at a lonely street corner stringing chords and riffs together like jewels on a necklace.

He played for hours before he noticed that it was nightfall and when he went to put his guitar back in its tattered case he found that it had already been filled with change.

**Track Five: Invincible Like a Tiger**

"Wow…"

Chad looked up from his guitar playing to find a small child, no more than six years old, staring openly at him.

"Mister, you're huge!"

"Ah…" Chad mumbled in agreement.

"I'm Ed Cooley, what's your name, Mister?" The child asked eagerly.

"Sado Yasutora." Chad replies, and he can't help the bit of Japanese accent that sneaks into his voice.

"Chad-O?" The boy tries the word out. "Hey, are you invincible?"

There is a long pause before Chad answers.

"Invincible like a tiger." And it is true, for as powerful as a tiger is, it can still be taken down. After what happened in Hueco Mundo, Chad knows this all too well.

**Track Six: Amore E Morte**

Of all the ryoka, Chad lived the longest, and though he was never able attend their funerals he would burn incense and say his respects whenever he learned of someone's passing.

He didn't have the necessary materials for a shrine so he wrote them songs. He played their songs daily at his post on the street corner, remembering the good and bad times. Remembering the love that only happens between friends.

**Track Seven: Welcome To The Communal Community**

When the large Hispanic man first showed up at the community garden people weren't sure how to react. Some were afraid and some didn't care, none gave him more than a guarded wave. He was gentle towards them and only spoke to them to inquire about where he could find some tomato seeds.

Weeks and months went by and the people of the community garden finally opened up to him.

When this happened Chad wasn't surprised, he'd learned a lot about people in his travels

**Track Eight: One Letter Short**

Unlike most other people who lived in New York, Chad rarely, if ever, got angry.

Partially this was because Chad didn't drive and only took the bus or subway if necessary.

But more importantly, it was because, for Chad, his anger equaled danger for everyone around him.

**Track Nine: I Have Changed, I've found Myself**

During his travels Chad changed. He wasn't sure when or where or how, but after he'd spent nearly a year in New York he'd realized that the way he saw himself was different.

The way he saw himself no longer depended on who he was to others. He saw himself as who he was to himself.

**Track Ten: Worth The Wait**

When Chad dies, he dies peacefully and with no regrets. He passes on easily and goes to Soul society of his own will.

He wakes in one of the better Rukongai districts. More specifically his is _woken _by a child in one of the better Rukongai districts.

When he looks away from the child, whom he later finds has been adopted, to see Orihime and Ishida. He's in their house.

They spend the time catching up, and it is late when both Ichigo and Rukia arrive. There is a reunion party, with all that that kind of party entails.

When he next wakes, Chad has a pounding headache and a distinct lack of memory after what he thinks was his eighth bottle of sake.

He decides it was worth the wait.


	2. Side B: Flashback! Before Shinigami!

Ain't No Stone Unturned, Ain't No Song Unheard

Side B: Flashback! Before Shinigami!

Bakageta

For Unsane Chibi (AKA: Miggrator and god knows how many other names…)

'_Lights are out in the street where I stand_

_It sure would be great to have a clock with no hands_

_Met a man said he was wise and in tune_

_Lazy Sundays turn to Mondays too soon.'_

_--'No Song Unheard', The Hellacopters_

_**Side B: Flashback! Before Shinigami!**_

**Track One: Cliché**

When asked to describe Chad most people fall back onto trusty, time worn phrases. As big as a house, an elephant, a mansion. As tall as a tree, the sky, Tokyo Tower. As strong as an ox, as steel, as stone.

One of the reasons Chad treasured his friendship with Ichigo so much was because, to Ichigo, he wasn't an overused string of words. He was "Chad, my friend."

**Track Two: Mostly Monolouge**

"Oi, Chad?"

Chad looked over at Ichigo as they walked aimlessly down a street.

"How long have we known each other?"

"Seven months." An additional glance asks 'Why?'

"Well, Pops has been buggin' me about never havin' any friends over."

A vaguely interrogative noise.

"Yeah."

Pause.

"So you wanna come over? My little sister's a pretty good cook."

A mumble that sounded vaguely affirmative.

**Track Three: Based on Bass (CL See Note)  
**

"You play guitar?" Ichigo asked one day after he noticed the callus on Chad's fingers when he'd helped Ichigo up after he'd been hit over the head with a bat in a fight.

"Yeah." Chad affirmed while absently snatching Bat-guy's weapon and breaking it in half.

"Bass or lead?" Ichigo questioned after kneeing one of Bat-guy's Buddies.

"A little of both." Chad said, keeping a wary eye on Bat-guy.

"Weird." Ichigo said and then grunted as the Buddy managed to hit him in his stomach. He continued after he'd retaliated. "You seem more like a bass player to me."

Chad gave him a questioning look and even though he couldn't see it, Ichigo had known Chad long enough to interpret his silences.

"Because," Ichigo said, bashing Bat-guy's head into the pavement with his foot, "the bass player's always there to cover for the lead when he screws up."

**Track Four: Clothes That Fit**

It's the weekend and for the first time in a long time no one in Chad's core group of friends had any projects or doctor's appointments or tests. Keigo had found this out somehow (stalking, maybe?) and had invited them all to see a movie. Chad wasn't sure of the film's title, something about a rebellion.

They'd shown up early and bought their tickets, as it was a popular movie, and settled in a rough group outside of the theatre for the thirty-five minute wait.

"Oi, Chad," Keigo asked, perhaps the only one in the group who was physically incapable of silence, "I've been wondering for awhile, where do you get your clothes?"

Chad looks up and finds that everyone but Ichigo is looking at him curiously. He waits a bit, and after a pause says:

"Here and there."

**Track Five: Free To a Good Home**

Chad is always tempted by the sight of boxes of small animals especially when they have 'Free to a good home' scrawled on them. But Chad has just enough money to care for himself and he knows that he can't provide a good home. So he waits for a time when he'll be able to.

**Track Six: Amore E Morte**

"Am-or-e e more-tay?" Ichigo asks on a hot summer day when he notices Chad's tattoo. "What's that mean?"

"Amore e Morte." Chad corrects. "It's Italian for love and death."

**Track Seven: Lucky**

Chad knows he is lucky. Not in the grandiose ways of winning the lottery or being saved from a lightning strike by a cat, but in the small ways.

He has a small group of close friends and one who would give his life for Chad, so long as Chad does the same. He lives comfortably in a time where many like him don't, he is satisfied with his life.

Chad knows he is lucky.

**Track Eight: Fearless**

"Are you fearless?"

It's a variation on a question Chad is often asked, usually in a fight, and not always by the person he's fighting.

The answer is no, he's not fearless, but he knows how to fight past his fears.

**Track Nine: Forgotten, Not Gone**

Chad has no memories of his parents. They died roughly a year and a half after his birth and he was taken in by his Abuelo shortly afterwards.

But while Chad has forgotten his parents, they are not gone. He knows them through stories, and that is enough.

**Track Ten: A Plate of Sunshine**

Chad had only known of Inoue Orihime in an off-hand way before she showed up on the school roof one day at lunch, escorted by Tatsuki.

The auburn-haired girl began making her lunch, a combination of salad, mustard, and gummy candy. Chad glanced around and when no one else acted particularly surprised (just a little nauseous) he assumed this was the norm for her. When she finished her plate looked like a rainbow had vomited on it. Unsurprisingly, it was predominantly yellow.

"Do you like it, Yasutora-kun?" Orihime asked when she noticed Chad looking at her food.

"It looks like a plate of sunshine." He said stoically.

"You want some?" An innocent question.

"Not really." Chad responded after a pause. "But thanks for offering."

'**Ain't No Stone Unturned, Ain't No Song Unheard' END**

**REPLAY?**

**Bonus Tracks**

**A/N:**

So it turns out that I've unwittingly taken some creative license with Track Three and made and error on Track Six... Whennerdscollide pointed out to me several things about guitars and in addition has informed me that Spanish and Italian are not interchangeable. So Track Six has been edited and I've learned that, yes, two years of high school Spanish can go rusty in a little over one year.

However, with Track Three there is quite a bit wrong. I know next to nothing about guitars, but Track Three is one of my favorites and I don't want to rewrite and possibly ruin it. So I'm going to post whennerdscollide's explanation and call creative license.

**Guest Artist; whennerdscollide**

**Truth on Track Three:**

Technically, Chad does play bass guitar, but Ichigo shouldn't ask "Bass or  
lead" because a four-string bass guitar and a regular six-string (lead) guitar  
are different. IF Chad did play a six-string guitar, Ichigo could ask if he  
played "lead or rhythm", but he plays bass guitar and a bass guitarist just  
plays bass; they generally don't play lead


End file.
